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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27649502">Wonderland Under the Horizon</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingersanps/pseuds/gingersanps'>gingersanps</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>A Hat in Time (Video Game), Alice In Wonderland - Lewis Carroll, Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AHIT AU, Arulius Luka Law, Eclipse Guardian, Gen, Multi, Sena - Freeform, Wonderland AU, craft, this au has gotten out of hand</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 20:21:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,607</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27649502</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingersanps/pseuds/gingersanps</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Eclipse had a run in with a baseball. She didn't expect to be sent to a place called Wonderland. Wait. Isn't Wonderland a book? What was going on here? And why does the Mad Hatter look familiar? WHY DOES THE WHITE RABBIT LOOK LIKE HER BROTHER?! She has to survive this crazy realm as she tries to figure it out.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Snatcher (A Hat in Time)/Original Character(s), The Prince (A Hat in Time)/Original Character(s), The Shapeshifter (A Hat in Time)/Original Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Wonderland Moon</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                                                                          </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’m definitely late.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Eclipse’s blue eyes opened as she groaned. The young woman rubbed her nose as she tried to remember the last few minutes. It was hard to recall anything at the moment. She held her head as a headache appeared. She jumped as she saw a foot tapping impatiently in front of her. She looked up to see a silver haired man. Eclipse squinted a bit to make sure she wasn’t seeing her older brother. The man stared at her, markings glowing, before he growled in annoyance. She jumped a bit at his growl.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You’re in the path. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Move</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he told her, his foot tapping once again. “I’m late. I’m extremely late. They’re not going to be happy I’m late </span>
  <em>
    <span>again</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“But, wait, Sena?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Sena clicked his tongue before rolling his eyes. He stepped around the young woman before moving to run through the woods. Eclipse stared at him before getting off the ground. She moved to run after him. Eclipse needed to know why her brother was there at the moment. He hadn’t been with her when … she bit her lip. She couldn’t remember what she was doing before waking up. The woman made a noise as she ran into the branches of a tree. The branches managed to tangle in her hair as she tried to get out of them.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Sena!” she called. “SENA.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Are you lost?” a voice chimed.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“She’s lost. Lost,” another voice appeared.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Eclipse made a noise as small, blue lights appeared in front of her. She blinked as she noticed the them wisp around her. She followed the little light trails that they left before taking a breath. She blew one to get it out of her face. She heard a small huff before it travelled a bit farther away from her.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Rude, rude,” they both seemed to speak.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>stuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” she told them. “I want to get out.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Out, out!” one laughed. “We can ask the forest wisps. But, you’re rude.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Sorry,” she said. “I just … I want to find my brother. I don’t know what’s going on. W-Where am I?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Lost, lost!” chirped the other. “She’s lost. Lost!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Wonderland,” the one said as it circled around Eclipse. “Wonderland.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Eclipse stared at the wisps before making a noise. They were not helpful in the slightest. She moved to grab at her hair to try and get it untangled from the branches. It would seem that everytime she tried to release her hair it managed to get tangled more in the branches. She growled in annoyance.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Come on,” she hissed.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Help. Help!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yes, please, help me!” she called to the wisps.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Help!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Ugh!” the young woman shouted.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Forest wisp will help! Help,” the wisps said as they giggled. “Say sorry. Say sorry!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I already said sorry,” the woman sighed. “Look. I’m a bit flustered. I have no idea what’s happening. I can’t remember what happened before this. I just ..”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Okay!” one chimed. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“It’s okay!” chimed the other. “Get help!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Help!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Eclipse made a noise as a green wisp appeared in front of her. She moved her head farther away from it as it moved closer to the woman. It chirped and trilled before moving to untangle the branches in her hair. Eclipse tumbled from the branches grasp as she fell to the forest floor. She moved to run her fingers through her hair to remove all the knots from it. She made a noise as the wisps began to swirl and circle around her. They needed to stop doing that to her. It felt cold and weird.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Go! Go!” they giggled. “This way to the Hatter.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Hatter?” huffed Eclipse. “What is this Wonder …” She trailed off as her eyes widened. One of the wisps did mention Wonderland. “No. No. This is </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>Wonderland. Wonderland doesn’t exist.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Wonderland! Wonderland! Follow! Follow!” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>The wisps raced off into the forest. She wasn’t sure what possessed her, but Eclipse moved to follow them through the woods. It was strange to notice the trees seemed to move out of her way as she continued to follow the wisps. Her fingers brushed against the trees as they moved out of her way. Eclipse looked forward before making a noise. She stumbled into a rose bush. The woman yelped as the thorns of the roses pushed into her skin when she had decided to move. Eclipse pouted a bit as she crossed her arms.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“First, I get stuck in trees. Now, I’m stuck in a fucking rose bush.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Well, that seems like a personal problem.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“HI!” she shouted as she stiffened.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>The sound of laughter travelled through her ears as she moved to turn to glare at the person who was laughing at her. A black haired man had doubled over in laughter from her reaction to him sneaking up on her. She frowned a bit before giving out a huff. He didn’t have to laugh at her. She was on edge as it was at the moment. Her pout turned into a scowl as she growled at him. Her sharp canines peaked through as she pulled back her lip to snarl at him. The young man held up his hands to give into her animalistic warnings.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Hey, hey,” he said. “I don’t mean to make you upset. I’d not be a very good host if my guests were not happy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You shouldn’t have laughed at me,” she huffed before tumbling out of the rose bush. “Ow.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Those have thorns.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“No, I didn’t realize,” Eclipse replied with sarcasm running between her words.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I do not tolerate guest rudeness in my garden as well.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Eclipse stuck her tongue out at him before moving to stand. She rubbed where the thorns pricked her arms before she crossed her arms. The young woman glared at the man. He chuckled a bit before taking off his hat to bow toward her.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Hello lost one! I am Snatcher. Your friend shaped Mad Hatter,” he introduced himself with a wide grin. “Or, maybe less than friend shaped. Maybe you’re just a fool.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I am no fool!” snarled Eclipse. “I am not lost. I want to find Sena. Where’s Sena?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Sena?” he asked as he quirked an eyebrow. “The White Queen’s assistant?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I … no … my brother,” she said as her voice quieted. “W-Where? Where am I?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Snatcher laughed, gold eyes glowing, as he stretched his arms out wide, “Why .. you’re in Wonderland of course! It’s the place all lost souls go. So, tell me, my dear, why are you lost?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eclipse watched him as he did all these movements before she gasped. Snatcher looked familiar to her, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. He resonated with her. It was going to frustrate the young woman to no end. She knew the Mad Hatter, and she couldn’t put her finger on where she knew him from. She didn’t know anybody with his height and stature that had black hair. She grew frustrated with herself before taking a deep breath to calm down. Snatcher raised an eyebrow before he took his cane to flip a teacup in the air before catching it.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Would you like a cup of tea?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I’m more of a coffee person,” Eclipse said. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Barbarian. Absolutely barbaric.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Eclipse stared at him before she started to laugh. The Hatter smiled a bit before he set the cup on the table once again. He leaned over to ask a servant to make his guest a cup of coffee. He had everything if it meant making somebody happy when they visited him. Eclipse stopped the servant as she continued to laugh.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“No, no. I do like tea. Promise.” She wiped a tear from her eye. “I couldn’t help it. I say that to my brother. It gets him going. I love your reply. It’s so much better than his reaction.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Glad I’m of entertainment,” huffed Snatcher. “Let me get you a cup of tea then.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“With honey!” chirped Eclipse as she moved to follow him. “I could use a drink. It’s been … an interesting last few moments.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Saw you followed the wisps,” the hatter said as he made her a cup of tea. “The last person to follow the wisps disappeared. Be careful.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He handed her the cup of tea before leaning on the table to watch Eclipse. The Mad Hatter looked her over before moving to take off his hat to fix his hair. He moved to grab a hair tie from his pocket before going to place hair into a low ponytail. Blue eyes watched him as Eclipse finished her drink. Her face had turned red before she moved to look away to stare at the bushes. Snatcher looked familiar. She knew he looked familiar to her. She squinted her eyes a bit before sighing.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“The roses are beautiful.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I try to make sure they bloom healthy,” Snatcher hummed as he moved to walk over to inspect some of them. “I take pride in my rose garden.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I can tell,” Eclipse muttered. “I love the smell of roses.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Then, you’re definitely in the right place!” laughed Snatcher. “So, why are you here?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I followed my brother!” she snapped. “I told you that.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You went into the Horizon Woods on whim to follow </span>
  <em>
    <span>Sena</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Our resident rabbit?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Rabbit?” squeaked Eclipse. “I don’t … I don’t understa …”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“It’s a codename,” scoffed Snatcher. “He’s not a rabbit, but he has the power of time. Despite that, he’s always late.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“If this is a dream, it feels so fucking surreal,” she said to herself as she slapped her cheek. “Okay, but I was following Sena. He looks like my big brother! Who, coincidentally, is also named </span>
  <em>
    <span>Sena</span>
  </em>
  <span>!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>She stomped her foot on the ground to emphasize her point. Snatcher watched her before snickering. She was actually kind of adorable when you watched all the expressions and movements she made when she was upset or excited. The hatter sighed as he moved to pull the brim of his hat down to hide his face. He shook his head for a moment before moving it to grin at her. Eclipse made a noise as she saw his expression. He had such a wide grin. She was kind of worried about what he was going to do.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Well, let’s go find Sena,” he laughed. “I know where he likes to wander off too. Besides, I’m sure Queen Vanessa wants to meet you as well. Maybe you’ll be able to find her </span>
  <em>
    <span>precious </span>
  </em>
  <span>prince.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He scoffed at his own words before moving to head toward the gate that led out of the garden. He gestured to it with his hand causing Eclipse to burn red. She hadn’t meant to tumble into his garden. She would have used the gate otherwise. She huffed before walking past him, jumped over the gate, then tapped her foot as she waited for him to emerge from the rose garden. Snatcher laughed as he joined her outside of his property.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You know,” he hummed. “I can see the relationship to Sena.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“That’s because I’m his sister you stupid hatter,” grumbled Eclipse.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Snatcher laughed as he nudged her to move forward onto the path. “You’re right! You might just be his sister!” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I am his sister,” she seethed before kicking his shin to get him to stop nudging her. “I can move on my own just fine. Thanks.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Snatcher winced as she kicked his shin before making a noise. She was interesting. Eclipse was somebody that wasn’t afraid to let others know what she felt, and he appreciated that at the very least. The Mad Hatter straightened himself, fixed his hat, then moved to follow after the young woman. Eclipse paused as she looked at him as he moved to catch up with her. She had realized she didn’t know where Queen Vanessa lived in this dream-like place. She winced as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. Her nose seemed to ache on occasion.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yes?” asked Snatcher as a grin appeared on his face.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I don’t know where we’re going.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yeah, I figured,” he said with a twisted grin as he laughed. “Follow me. We’ll run into Sena and Craft along the way probably.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Craft?” she asked as she blinked. “This has to be a dream. There’s no way another weirdo is named like Craft as well.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Are you calling me a weirdo?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You’re the weirdo of weirdos,” she answered him.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Rude,” he said with a soft snicker slipping through his teeth. “I am anything but weird.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Eclipse jumped as she turned to face the person who had spoken up to her comment. She gasped as she saw the tall, hooded figure. Cat ears graced the top of the hood. Blue eyes stared at Eclipse before she swore they changed to a darker shade of purple. The figure grinned before moving toward Snatcher and the young woman. Snatcher growled a bit before moving to pull Eclipse behind him.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“My, my, Snatch,” laughed Craft. “I’m not going to do anything to your precious guest. She was just calling me a weirdo. And, she’s right. But, I’m not going to lay in a tree branch and listen to her say that about me.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Eclipse stared at Craft as he moved his hands, they were hidden by the sleeves of his hoodie, as he moved to walk behind the hatter with ease. He glanced at Eclipse, eyes changing to red, before he patted her on top of the head. Eclipse whined a bit before moving to brush his hand off her hair. She hated when Craft patted the top of her head. He always seemed to mess up her hair. Eclipse paused as she stared at the creature as she realized she was projecting the Craft she knew onto him. Craft watched her before he began to laugh. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Oh, she’s interesting! Where’d you find her?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“She tumbled into my rose bushes,” grumbled Snatcher. “Messed a few up. I’ll have to fix it.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I told you that I was sorry, and I didn’t mean to tumble into your rose bushes!” snapped Eclipse. “Get over it!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Oooh, spitfire,” purred Craft. “I like her.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“She was the reason I was late.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Sena!” cried Eclipse as she spotted. “Oh thank goodness … how was I the reason you were late?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You were in my way,” huffed the man. “You were laying in the middle of the path. Who does that?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I didn’t mean to lay in the middle of a path!” argued Eclipse as a frown formed on her face. “I don’t know how I ended up here!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Most people don't know how they end up here,” laughed Craft. “Wonderland is an enigma!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Wonderland isn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>real</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” snapped Eclipse. “Wonderland is … is … IS A BOOK!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Snatcher moved to place his hands over her eyes as she started to freak out. He pulled her closer to him to help her relax.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Relax,” he told her. “Having a panic attack will not help anything. I promise.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Eclipse struggled against him for a little bit before she began to relax. His voice was soothing. Incredibly so. She was a bit annoyed that his voice had that effect on her. The hatter removed his hands when he felt that she had relaxed her muscles. Eclipse rubbed her left arm with her right hand as she stared at her shoes. Her face was bright red. He smelled like old parchment paper and roses. The sound of his voice and his smell had overridden her brain.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You okay now?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Y-Yeah,” she said as she chuckled nervously. “S-So, Queen V-Vanessa?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Oh, right.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Sena stared at them as he narrowed his eyes, “Why do I suddenly have the urge to punch Snatcher in the nose?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Who knows!” laughed Craft. “Come on. Let’s get to the queen’s castle. I think I’ll miss something interesting if I don’t get there before Snatcher and Eclipse.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Weren’t we having a ‘we’ day?” asked Sena as he moved to follow Craft.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Change of plans!” laughed Craft as he moved around the trees. He stopped to grin at Sena. “I want to see how this plays out.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Cheeky cat,” huffed the man.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Eclipse looked around as she heard Craft’s laughter drifting through the forest. She thought he sounded close to them. Snatcher rolled his shoulders before snorting. Craft’s laughter always echoed through the words. He sounded like he was having a grand time of things at the moment. Gold eyes glanced at Eclipse before Snatcher coughed a bit. He wasn’t even sure why he was going to help her find Queen Vanessa.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“So, Eclipse,” he hummed. “Do you know why I’m taking you to the queen?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Excuse me?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You heard me.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“No, no,” she said as she shook her head. “How do you know my name? I never gave it to you.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I ..” He paused. “Yes you did. I-I think …”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Eclipse made a noise. She didn’t remember giving Snatcher her name when she had first met him. She chewed on her lip as she tried to keep up with him. He was walking a lot faster now, and she didn’t really know why he had begun to walk faster. The young woman tilted her head. He was nervous. She didn’t think the Mad Hatter was supposed to get nervous. Eclipse moved to pull on his sleeve. Snatcher stopped in his stride to stare at her.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Why are we going to the queen?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Anybody who comes to Wonderland must be asked if they know the whereabouts of the Prince of Hearts,” he answered before smiling a bit. “So, I don’t want to disappoint her majesty.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Prince of Hearts?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Snatcher shrugged as he continued on his way to the castle with Eclipse following him. “I don’t know why she’s continuing to look for him. In fact, I’m pretty sure she’s better off without him.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yeah?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yeah,” he said, giving a bitter chuckle. “He’s stuck up. He’s rigid. The prince didn’t know how to have fun. A pushover who couldn’t tell people he didn’t want the relationship he had. Probably couldn’t hold down a relationship he wanted. He’s a jerk. Ignoring others just to make sure the current queen remained happy. He didn’t want to marry her. He couldn’t go against what others had told him he had to do!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Eclipse watched Snatcher as he hissed angrily between his ranting about the prince. She tilted her head in thought. He knew a lot about the missing prince. She shook her head before pausing as she saw the white castle appearing in front of them. She wasn’t sure how she didn’t see it from a distance. The castle shined brightly in the sun. She had to cover her eyes to see it. The hatter clicked his tongue before he placed his hat on her head. Eclipse blinked as the sun disappeared. She glanced at Snatcher. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“What about …?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I’ll be fine,” he said, cutting her off. “I’m used to the shine this place gives. I visit a lot.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He looked around the area they were standing. He was surprised there were no guards to lower the bridge. He placed a hand on his hip as he sighed. Perfect. They walked the whole way to the castle, and he wasn’t even sure if Vanessa was home. Eclipse blinked as she realized they couldn’t get into the castle. She went to say something before making a noise as a carriage pulled by pure white horses appeared.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Ah,” she heard Snatcher mutter. “There she is.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>A young woman appeared from the carriage with the help of the footsman. She stepped out of the carriage before moving to fix the crown that had begun to slip from her head. Blonde hair fell in curls around her face and shoulders. Eclipse gasped. The queen was really pretty. The white gown she wore definitely helped with the overall look of the White Queen. The woman stared at Snatcher before looking at Eclipse. She saw a bit of a glare pass over the woman’s eyes. She didn’t get to say much on it as the woman began to speak.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Snatcher,” she began, “who is this you’ve brought to visit me?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Snatcher bowed a bit at the queen before answering her question, “She stumbled into my garden. I figured I’d bring her to you to ask the whereabouts of the prince.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yeah?” the queen snapped. “Tell me. Where’s the Prince of Hearts?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I-I have no idea,” answered Eclipse as she gulped a bit.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“My poor prince!” cried the queen. “Why won’t he return to me?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Eclipse paused as she heard the queen. He was supposed to return to her. She thought he was missing.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I’m sorry, your majesty,” she said. “I thought he was missing?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“He is missing!” she cried.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“But, if he is to return to you, that means -- he ran away from you.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“No!” she snarled, her eyes beginning to glow. “He didn’t run away from me!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Eclipse made a noise as she took a few steps back to keep a distance between the queen and herself. Her eyes flickered around the area as she tried to plan an escape route in case she needed to get away from the woman. Eclipse was pretty sure this was a dream. She wasn’t going to take any chances though. She moved to grip her head a bit before making a noise as the queen appeared in her face.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“He didn’t run away from me!” she snapped. “My dear prince wouldn’t dare run away. He was happy! He always told me so!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“People can lie …”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“No!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Eclipse made a noise as the queen slashed at her face. She saw ice coming her way. Eclipse made a noise as she was pulled away from the woman. She gasped as she felt Snatcher’s arms wrap around her. He snarled at Vanessa. The woman paused before growling at him. Eclipse stared at the two of them. They had a thick energy between them. Her face showed confusion as she continued to stare between them. Snatcher’s rant appeared foremost in her mind. Blue eyes widened as she realized what was going on at the moment.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“S-Snatch …”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Quiet,” he hissed.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Give her to me, Hatter,” the queen demanded. “She must be punished.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“When have I ever really listened to you, Vanessa?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am your </span>
  <em>
    <span>queen</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” she hissed at him. “You will do as I say Hatter!” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You are not my queen,” he told her. “You have never been my queen.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Snatcher pushed Eclipse out of the way as ice formed near them. He dodged it as well. Eclipse was confused. When had this started to become a nightmare? She rubbed her head as it had started to hurt. The young woman yelped as soldiers appeared around her. She tried to keep away from them, but it was hard when they were circling her. A part of the circle broke away as Queen Vanessa appeared.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“My prince loves me,” she whispered to Eclipse. “He would have never ran away. He wouldn’t have </span>
  <em>
    <span>lied </span>
  </em>
  <span>to me.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Eclipse’s eyes flickered toward Snatcher as he had been held back by more of Vanessa’s soldiers. She moved to hold her gaze with the queen. Vanessa winced as she saw the look Eclipse was giving her. The wince didn’t last long, and the White Queen began to glare at the woman before her. Eclipse smiled. It was a dream. Dreams wouldn’t hurt her. At least, she hoped it was a dream. Wonderland didn’t exist. This was crazy. It was a nightmare.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You’re delusional,” she said. “He ran away from you.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“He’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>missing</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” the woman hissed. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“No.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Eclipse’s head snapped to the side as Vanessa had slapped her. She bit her cheek to keep from reacting to the pain. Tears stung the corner of  her eyes. It was a dream. The slap shouldn’t hurt, and it should have woken her up. Eclipse turned her head back to Vanessa, redness appearing on her cheek, as she gave the queen a glare.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You’re a child.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Take that back!” she screeched.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You’re throwing a hissy fit. Why? Because you didn’t get your own way? Because you couldn’t get the handsome prince? I bet he’d rather marry a commoner then marry </span>
  <em>
    <span>you.”</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>
      <br/>
    </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>
      <br/>
    </span>
  </em>
  <span>Vanessa breathed heavily through her nose to not lose her composure. Her composure was starting to break. The white queen breathed in through her nose then out through her mouth. She smiled at Eclipse. Blue eyes widened as a soldier yanked her up by the hair. She yelped in pain. No. Pain shouldn’t be a thing. Tears gathered at the corner of her eyes once again. It hurt to be thrown around by the hair.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You’ve insulted your queen,” Vanessa said. “You will be punished. Off with her head.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Eclipse gasped as she began to be dragged toward the castle. It was Wonderland. It shouldn’t be the </span>
  <em>
    <span>white queen </span>
  </em>
  <span>giving these orders. She dug her heels into the ground trying to stop them. The pain -- this wasn’t real. It was a dream. Her head hurt.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“S-Stop,” she whimpered. “P-Please.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Stop it, Vanessa!” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Vanessa paused as she turned toward the Mad Hatter. She frowned at him as he had managed to break through the soldiers holding him back. She crossed her arms as she waited for him to explain himself for stopping her.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“She’s right.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Pardon?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“The prince ran away from you.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Vanessa gnashed her teeth together as she heard Snatcher. She was not doing this again. Her prince did not run away from her.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“He couldn’t stand you. He couldn’t stand the way this country was run. He couldn’t stand </span>
  <em>
    <span>himself</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” the hatter continued. “The prince couldn’t stay with somebody he truly didn’t love. He needed to be free.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“What are you saying?!” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You’re so blinded with your own fantasy that you haven’t even recognized your own precious prince in front of you?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Vanessa’s eyes widened as she stared into the gold of the man in front of her. At that moment, Snatcher appeared exhausted. He appeared done with the world. He looked like he wanted to sleep.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“P-Prince?” the queen gasped.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I changed my look to be able to live the life I wanted,” Snatcher explained. “But, I will come back to the castle if it means that you will let Eclipse go.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Why?” the queen demanded. “She …”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“She told you the truth,” Snatcher said as he cut her off.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I knew it!” Eclipse said as she heard him. “The only person that could hate a person more than anybody else is that person.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Snatcher looked at her before smiling. He moved away from Vanessa before getting the soldiers to let Eclipse go. He moved to take the hat off her head before placing it on his own head once again. He moved to rub a thumb over her cheek to remove a stray tear that had escaped the corner of her eye. He sighed. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I definitely like being Snatcher,” he said. “The Mad Hatter of Wonderland.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Then be him,” huffed Eclipse. “You don’t have to be somebody else. Especially not for my sake. You just met me.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I did,” he laughed. “But, you’re fascinating. You’re definitely worth sacrificing my own happiness to make sure you’re okay.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Eclipse moved to grasp his cheeks in her hands before she bit her lip. “You don’t have to be somebody else to be well loved, Snatcher.  You don’t have to pretend in front of everybody. Others will truly accept you when you relax and be yourself.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>She went to move a piece of hair that had fallen in his face before she tensed. Her eyes widened as she realized why she recognized him. She hadn’t been this close to him yet to realize he looked exactly like Arulius. He looked like the man she liked from her own college class. She gulped before moving to push him away. Snatcher looked confused as he watched her scramble away from him.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“E-Eclipse?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“N-No!” she said as she moved further away as he moved closer to her. “S-Stay there.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“But …”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“This is a dream!” she  said as her eyes closed. “A horrible, horrible nightmare.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Eclipse!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Eclipse’s eyes snapped open as she moved to sit up fast. Her surroundings became a blur before she fell into the arms of the person who had said her name. She groaned before opening her eyes once again. Blue met gold. Eclipse yelped as she scrambled away from the chestnut haired young man. Her head swam from pain. Her nose hurt. She wanted to cry. The young man moved to wrap his arms around her as he rubbed her back.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Sorry,” he said. “My brother hit that ball in your direction.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“B-Ball?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“A baseball. It hit you square in the face. Knocked you right out.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“O-Oh.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yeah,” he said as his voice dropped a bit. “He should have been paying attention to where he was hitting the ball. Or how hard to hit it. The park didn’t just have us playing in it.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Eclipse closed her eyes to settle the pain in her head as she relaxed against Arulius. He smelled like roses and parchment paper. She didn’t want to move from that spot, but she knew she had to move at some point. She glanced in the direction of voices as she stared at two boys who looked the same age.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Morgan,” snapped Arulius. “Apologize. I told you not to hit the ball that hard with the bat.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Sorry!” he huffed as he crossed his arms. “She shouldn’t have been so close to the ball diamond then.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Morgan!” snapped Arulius as he glared at his brother.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Eclipse giggled. The young man froze as he heard her giggle before he stared down at her. She stared up at him before giggling once again. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You should be like this more often,” she said to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like what?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Emotional,” she answered. “Relaxed. Yelling. Getting annoyed.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Arulius turned red as he heard her. Eclipse moved to place a hand on his cheek as she smiled at him. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“It’s okay to be yourself around me.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Wonderland Sun</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Wait. This seems familiar. Oh. The Hatter's POV. Wait, it's not really the Hatter? What is going on in Wonderland?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                                                                               </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Arulius jolted as he nearly dropped the teacup that was in his hand. He stared at the others at the table before making a noise. His gold eyes twitched a bit before he set the teacup on the table to rube them. His hands shook before he gripped them into a fist to stop the shaking. Though, he did move to grip his face within his hands as he tried to get rid of the headache that had surged from the top of head to the base of his neck. The young man jumped as a hand appeared on his shoulder. He stared at the hand. It was covered in a hoodie. He couldn’t see the hand that was underneath it. His eyes roamed upward before he made a noise at the blue eyes staring at him. Craft tilted his head as he grinned at the hatter. Arulius felt a shiver move over his body as he saw the grin appear on their face. Craft’s head tilted to the other side, ears attached to his hoodie flopping with the movement, before he chuckled.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Are you alright, dear hatter?” he purred. “You look a little </span>
  <em>
    <span>lost</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Huh?” was Arulius’ first response. He shook his head. “No, no. I’m fine, Cheshire. I must have put the wrong tea in the teapot.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Arulius’ mind flooded with the memories of the person he supposedly was at the moment. A prince. No. He was once a prince. He was a hatter. A </span>
  <em>
    <span>mad </span>
  </em>
  <span>hatter. Wonderland. He winced as his eyes squeezed shut to calm the flood. The young man didn’t even remember the events leading up to him appearing in this setting. He moved to run a hand through his hair. He opened his eyes before they widened. His hair was black. It wasn’t the normal chestnut he was used to seeing. It was a lot longer too. He panicked before going to grab the hat that had fallen off his head when he had jolted the first time. He plopped it back on his head as he sighed. He shivered as he felt Craft wrap themself around him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure you’re okay, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ru</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“G-Get off!” snapped the hatter as he moved to shove Craft off of him. “What the fuck, Craft?!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Craft had doubled over in laughter at that point. They couldn’t help themselves. The “Cheshire Cat” snorted as they tried to calm themselves to recompose. Craft snickered behind their covered hand as they tried to stop laughing. Arulius had stood from his chair to push Craft off of him. He moved to straighten his hat on his head before he turned toward Craft. They stiffened a bit as they saw the look the hatter was giving them. It didn’t seem to be Ru. It seemed to be the normal Mad Hatter of their world. Craft narrowed their eyes. They weren’t wrong. The glare given to them was the real thing though.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I am Snatcher,” Arulius snarled. “You are to call me by such a name, Craft. You </span>
  <em>
    <span>know </span>
  </em>
  <span>this.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yes, yes, of course,” snickered Craft. “Hiding from the White Queen. Don’t want to be found. The runaway prince.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Craft!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Can you try not to agitate Snatcher, Love?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Craft snickered a bit more before they turned toward Sena. Their grin widened a bit more as they saw him. Sena sighed as he moved to rub a hand over his face. His significant other couldn’t leave well enough alone. The codenamed White Rabbit turned toward his lover before pulling at their sleeve. Craft laughed as they moved to wrap themselves around Sena. Sena was there now, and their attention was on him. Sena sighed as he moved to walk off with Craft wrapped around him. Arulius’ eye twitched before he moved to flop back into his seat. He needed to get rid of this headache. He moved to pour another cup of tea before sighing. He needed something stronger than tea. The hatter groaned as he remembered that the mansion didn’t have anything but tea to brew.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Well, this sucks,” he muttered as he placed his face in his hands. “My memories are all in shambles, and I’m not even sure which memories are mine. How did I end up here?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Snatcher, Snatcher!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Arulius turned toward the sound of the voice before he made a noise as he was tackled. He stared at the twins before his eye twitched once again. He was starting to think this was a weird nightmare as he stared his brothers. He shifted to lift them off of him before moving to sit up. He stared at the chair they had tipped over when they had jumped him. He stood up before going to lift the chair upright.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Marcus, Morgan,” he snarled as he turned on his heel to stare at them.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“S-Sorry!” Marcus apologized. “B-But, there’s a g-girl in your bush!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yeah, she just appeared. Fwoosh, she landed in that bush as if she dived head first into it,” Morgan explained as he moved his hands around.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?” asked the hatter as he raised an eyebrow. “I suppose I should go see if she’s okay then. Those rose bushes were nice. She probably ruined one.” That thought annoyed him despite the fact he, himself, had nothing to do with them. “Well, Ru, you might as well ham this up until you figure out what is going on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He walked toward the rose bushes near the back of the garden before spotting the young woman that had tumbled into them. He heard her groan from landing in the thorns. Arulius stared at her before his face turned pink. Oh no. She was cute with roses and their leaves in her hair. He watched her as she struggled to get out of the bush. A smile appeared on his face. She was having such an issue getting out of a rose bush.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“First, I get stuck in trees. Now, I’m stuck in a fucking rose bush.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Well, that seems like a personal problem.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“HI!” she shouted as she stiffened.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Arulius laughed as he heard her reaction to him speaking to her. She had no idea he was standing there watching her struggle. His laughing ceased when he saw the glare that had appeared on her face. A smirk appeared on his face as he moved to hold out a hand to her. Eclipse huffed as she ignored his hand. She continued to try and get out of the rose bush herself. Arulius snickered behind his hand causing her to snap her attention back toward him. He saw her expression change as she pulled her lip back to snarl at him. He stared at her fangs before holding up his hands to wave the metaphorical white flag to her animalistic warnings. He continued to grin at her with his own fangs showing.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Hey, hey,” he said. “I don’t mean to make you upset. I’d not be a very good host if my guests were not happy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You shouldn’t have laughed at me,” she huffed before tumbling out of the rose bush. “Ow.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Those have thorns,” he said, his smirk growing into a stupid grin.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“No, I didn’t realize,” Eclipse replied with sarcasm running between her words.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I do not tolerate guest rudeness in my garden as well.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He didn’t mind the sarcasm she gave him. He found it endearing he was starting to discover. Arulius didn’t have to deal with sarcasm being thrown his way. Vanessa was too proper and soft spoken to ever speak that way to him. He frowned. He wished she would give him attitude. He didn’t like acting like a goodie, goodie when she was around. He hated having to think about what he was going to say before saying it. He saw her stick her tongue out at him before his grin widened. The young woman was amusing him. He watched as she crossed her arms to rub where the thorns had stabbed her as she growled lowly while glaring at him once again. The hatter chuckled at her contempt toward him before he took off his hat. He folded his elbow by his stomach, hat going with his hand, as he bent to bow in her direction. Eclipse tilted her head to give him a curious look. Arulius turned red at her expression before he shook his head a bit as he continued his act.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Hello lost one! I am Snatcher. Your friend shaped Mad Hatter,” he introduced himself with a wide grin. “Or, maybe less than friend shaped. Maybe you’re just a fool.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Arulius had to search through the jumble of memories to find the name of the person he was currently playing. Snatcher was what the twins had called him, but he wanted to make sure that was how he was introducing himself toward the pretty woman in front of him. He snickered as he saw her expression change to one of annoyance as she let his last sentence play across her mind.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I am no fool!” snarled Eclipse. “I am not lost. I want to find Sena. Where’s Sena?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Sena?” he asked as he quirked an eyebrow. “The White Queen’s assistant?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sena had just left the mansion’s rose garden, but he didn’t want to tell her that at the moment. He had no idea where Sena and Craft had gone off anyway. He watched as her expression fell before he bit his lip. He didn’t understand why she felt so sullen about the fact that Sena wasn’t there at the moment. He huffed. What was so special about that dumb rabbit?</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I … no … my brother,” she said as her voice quieted. “W-Where? Where am I?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Oh. She thought he was her brother. Arulius’ eyes widened as he realized she could have been like him. She could have been stuck in some weird other dimension. He didn’t want to call it a dream, but it was definitely dream-like. The hatter realized how quiet he had gotten before a laugh escaped his lips. He stretched his arms out in a grand gesture as his eyes glowed with false excitement. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Why .. you’re in Wonderland of course! It’s the place all lost souls go. So, tell me, my dear, why are you lost?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Arulius watched her mouth gape at him as he moved to his cane to lean on it to watch her. She made some of the cutest, adorable expressions. He had to stop thinking these things as he watched the young woman struggle to comprehend his words. He watched her take a deep breath as her fingers relaxed their curled position. He moved his cane to flip a teacup that appeared into the air before catching it. He raised an eyebrow at the fact it had appeared with tea inside of it. Wonderland was a bit awkward.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Would you like a cup of tea?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I’m more of a coffee person,” Eclipse said. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Arulius stared at her before he grinned. He couldn’t tell her that he was more of a coffee person as well. He had to pretend that he was Snatcher, the mad hatter of Wonderland. He grinned at her as he spoke his next words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Barbarian. Absolutely barbaric.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eclipse started to laugh. Her laugh sounded like bells to him. It was a nice laugh. He gulped. He cleared his throat before chuckling along with her. He smiled at her laughter before placing the cup of tea on the table. He blinked as he stared at the table before staring at where it was once within the garden. Weird. He went back to trying to keep his guest happy as he spotted one of the servants that ran around the mansion as well as other areas surrounding it. He asked them to grab a cup of coffee from somewhere since the mansion didn’t have any coffee within its walls. He blinked, eyebrow raised, as Eclipse stopped the servant.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“No, no. I do like tea. Promise.” She wiped a tear from her eye. “I couldn’t help it. I say that to my brother. It gets him going. I love your reply. It’s so much better than his reaction.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Glad I’m of entertainment,” huffed Snatcher. “Let me get you a cup of tea then.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“With honey!” chirped Eclipse as she moved to follow him. “I could use a drink. It’s been … an interesting last few moments.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Snatcher watched her as he poured the cup of tea before grabbing a bit of honey to add in it. He saw how tired the young woman looked at the moment. He saw how confused and out of place she was at the moment. She couldn’t act like he had been for the last few minutes of their time together. Gold eyes snapped toward the end of the garden as he spotted a few bright blue wisps flying around before they zipped back into the forest. Ah. She had been following wisps. He grimaced. She had been </span>
  <em>
    <span>following wisps</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Saw you followed the wisps. The last person to follow the wisps disappeared. Be careful.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He handed her the cup of tea before leaning on the table to watch Eclipse. The Mad Hatter looked her over before moving to take off his hat to fix his hair. He had noticed it had fallen out of his ponytail. He didn’t even know where the elastic went … it probably disappeared when the twins had tackled him from the chair. He sighed as he went to grab another one from his pocket before he moved to place his hair into a ponytail once again. He blinked as he saw her staring at him. He smiled at her. He chuckled inwardly as he saw her turn red before looking away from him. She was cute. The young woman looked away from him as her line of sight travelled to the roses.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“The roses are beautiful.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I try to make sure they bloom healthy,” Snatcher hummed as he moved to walk over to inspect some of them. “I take pride in my rose garden.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I can tell,” Eclipse muttered. “I love the smell of roses.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Then, you’re definitely in the right place!” laughed Snatcher. “So, why are you here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I followed my brother!” she snapped. “I told you that.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You went into the Horizon Woods on whim to follow </span>
  <em>
    <span>Sena</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Our resident rabbit?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Rabbit?” squeaked Eclipse. “I don’t … I don’t understa …”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“It’s a codename,” scoffed Snatcher. “He’s not a rabbit, but he has the power of time. Despite that, he’s always late.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“If this is a dream, it feels so fucking surreal,” she said to herself as she slapped her cheek. “Okay, but I was following Sena. He looks like my big brother! Who, coincidentally, is also named </span>
  <em>
    <span>Sena</span>
  </em>
  <span>!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Arulius watched as she stomped her foot on the ground in frustration. He snickered a bit as she gave him a look from the expression he had been giving her. Multiple expressions appeared on her face as she moved around in ways that resembled all of them. The hatter laughed behind his hand as he decided she was absolutely adorable. He had been finding her cute based on her reactions to him, but she was one hundred percent adorable in his eyes. He made a noise as his face turned red from that particular thought. He pulled the brim of his hat down to hide his face while trying to will the coloring away. He took a deep breath before a grin spread across his face. If he was going to have to deal with this young woman then he might as well continue to play his part. He glanced at her with the grin still etched on his face. She made a noise before taking a step back from him. He saw the worried expression pass across her face. He straightened, grin still there on his face, as he moved to straighten out his clothing.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Well, let’s go find Sena,” he laughed. “I know where he likes to wander off too. Besides, I’m sure Queen Vanessa wants to meet you as well. Maybe you’ll be able to find her </span>
  <em>
    <span>precious </span>
  </em>
  <span>prince</span>
  <em>
    <span>.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He scoffed at his own words. He had to run through the different memories of this Arulius. He had a hatred toward the prince as well as Queen Vanessa. He could play the spite and pettiness that leaked from the memories of both persons. He stared at the damaged bush before staring at the gate. He gestured toward the gate with his hand. He watched as Eclipse’s face burned bright red. He snickered at her expression as she huffed. He watched as she jumped over the gate. She straightened herself before glaring at him. He watched as she crossed her arms and tapped her foot as she waited for him. She was definitely adorable. He shook his head before heading out of the garden via the gate. He watched her for a few moments before laughing a bit.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You know,” he hummed. “I can see the relationship to Sena.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“That’s because I’m his sister you stupid hatter,” grumbled Eclipse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Arulius laughed as he moved to nudge Eclipse farther forward onto the path. He may have been picking fun at the young woman to garner reactions from her. He was enjoying all the expressions, tones and movements she made when she was upset, happy and confused. He grinned as he saw the looks of annoyance she was throwing him as he kept nudging her toward the path.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You’re right! You might just be his sister!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>The hatter winced as she kicked him in the shin. He hadn’t expected the action from her. He moved to lift his leg a bit to rub his shin. He thought he saw a ghost of a smile appear on Eclipse’s face when she saw him going to rub it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am his sister,” she said with venom in her tone. “I can move on my own just fine. Thanks.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He was just imagining that ghost of a smile it would seem. He finished rubbing his shin before going to fix his hat on his head. He chuckled a bit as he saw her standing there staring at him. Arulius had to stare at her for a moment. She was unique. He admired her for being able to show how she was feeling. She wasn’t afraid to tell him how it was. It was refreshing compared to the people he normally hung around. The hatter bit his lip. He didn’t like having to play pretend. He wanted to be sarcastic. He wanted to tell people how he was feeling. He wanted to tell Vanessa how stifling she was to him. He glanced back at Eclipse as she moved to rub the bridge of her nose. A grin appeared on Arulius’ face. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yes?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I don’t know where we’re going.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I figured,” he said with a twisted grin as he laughed. “Follow me. We’ll run into Sena and Craft along the way probably.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Craft?” she asked as she blinked. “This has to be a dream. There’s no way another weirdo is named like Craft as well.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Are you calling me a weirdo?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You’re the weirdo of weirdos,” she answered him.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Rude,” he said with a soft snicker slipping through his teeth. “I am anything but weird.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Arulius watched Craft as the shapeshifter teased Eclipse. He didn’t like Craft. The shapeshifter was always up to something. The hatter was sure that Craft was always up to nothing good. He watched Eclipse take a step back before he moved. The hatter pulled Eclipse behind him as he growled at the Cheshire cat. She didn’t want him to be close to her, so he was going to make sure Craft didn’t get close to her. The hatter made a noise as the shapeshifter walked past him with ease.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“My, my, Snatch,” laughed Craft. “I’m not going to do anything to your precious guest. She was just calling me a weirdo. And, she’s right. But, I’m not going to lay in a tree branch and listen to her say that about me.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He moved to try to grab Craft but the cat slipped through his fingers. He snarled, but it seemed to have fallen on deaf ears as the being moved to ruffle Eclipse’s hair. Arulius had to stop himself from laughing when he heard Eclipse whine. She didn’t like to have her hair ruffled; it was a good piece of information to keep in mind. He moved to brush his bangs away from his face. He had turned red once again.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Come on, Ru,” he muttered to himself. “You do not need to keep information on her. She’s not even real. You’re pretty convinced this is a dream.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Arulius jumped when he saw Craft near him once again. He had to stop </span>
  <em>
    <span>doing </span>
  </em>
  <span>that. Craft grinned at him. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Oh, she’s interesting! Where’d you find her?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“She tumbled into my rose bushes,” he grumbled, slipping back into his role. “Messed a few up. I’ll have to fix it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I told you that I was sorry, and I didn’t mean to tumble into your rose bushes!” snapped Eclipse. “Get over it!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Oooh, spitfire,” purred Craft. “I like her.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“She was the reason I was late.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Sena!” cried Eclipse as she spotted. “Oh thank goodness … how was I the reason you were late?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You were in my way,” huffed the man. “You were laying in the middle of the path. Who does that?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I didn’t mean to lay in the middle of a path!” argued Eclipse as a frown formed on her face. “I don’t know how I ended up here!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Most people don't know how they end up here,” laughed Craft. “Wonderland is an enigma!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Wonderland isn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>real</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” snapped Eclipse. “Wonderland is … is … IS A BOOK!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Arulius acted instantly when he felt the change in tone as well as saw the physical cues of a breakdown coming from Eclipse. He moved over to her before placing his hands over her eyes. He pulled her closer to him to let her feel the heat that he gave off. It would help to calm her at the very least. He didn’t need his cute guest having a breakdown. Though he frowned a bit, she had a point. Wonderland is a book. He shouldn’t be in Wonderland. He glanced at Craft. Craft was making it hard to decide if this was a dream … or not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Relax,” he told her. “Having a panic attack will not help anything. I promise.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>The hatter had to ignore the lingering smell she had on her. She smelled like pine. It smelled really good to him, and he had to ignore how well she fit him. It was strange. Vanessa didn’t fit him as if they were two side pieces of the same jigsaw puzzle. He felt her relax before smiling softly at the fact she had loosened her muscles. He felt her breathing return to normal as the air coming from her nose had evened out.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You okay now?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Y-Yeah,” she said as she chuckled nervously. “S-So, Queen V-Vanessa?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Oh, right.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Arulius had forgotten about Queen Vanessa. He growled a bit at the name. Queen Vanessa -- it was strange that the queen the prince ran away from was named the same as his girlfriend. He shook his head before giving Eclipse a small smile. He chuckled a bit as she looked away from him with a light blush on her cheeks. She was absolutely adorable. A stupid smile graced his face as he moved to lead her toward the castle. They needed to get there soon enough. He didn’t notice that Sena was glaring at him.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Sena stared at them as he narrowed his eyes, “Why do I suddenly have the urge to punch Snatcher in the nose?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Who knows!” laughed Craft. “Come on. Let’s get to the queen’s castle. I think I’ll miss something interesting if I don’t get there before Snatcher and Eclipse.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Weren’t we having a ‘we’ day?” asked Sena as he moved to follow Craft.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Change of plans!” laughed Craft as he moved around the trees. He stopped to grin at Sena. “I want to see how this plays out.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Cheeky cat,” huffed the man.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Arulius snorted as he heard Craft’s laugh echo through the forest. The shapeshifter had a distinct laugh, and he knew it echoed well throughout the forest. His gold eyes glanced around the forest before snorting. He saw Eclipse staring at him from the corner of his eye. He grinned before rolling his shoulders in an ‘I don’t know’ way. It definitely sounded like Craft was having a lot of fun at the moment though. What about this was fun to him? Arulius frowned before he saw Eclipse watching him a bit closer. He turned pink before coughing a bit. The hatter seemed to walk slower as he saw the top of the castle before them. He needed a conversation to keep his mind of the nagging anxiety that ate the back of his mind.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“So, Eclipse,” he hummed. “Do you know why I’m taking you to the queen?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Excuse me?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You heard me.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“No, no,” she said as she shook her head. “How do you know my name? I never gave it to you.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I ..” He paused. “Yes you did. I-I think …”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Arulius squinted his eyes as he tried to remember their conversation where she had said her name to him. He had introduced himself to her in the rose garden. He was positive the young woman had said her name at that time as well. He winced as he moved to grab his head. It was starting to hurt at the moment. He shook his head a bit to get rid of the headache. His eyes caught sight of the castle before a gulp was caught in his throat. He hadn’t even realized he was starting to walk faster toward the place he didn’t really want to go. He made a noise as he felt his sleeve being pulled. He glanced back at Eclipse before making a noise. She gave him a concerned expression. He wasn’t even sure if she realized she was making it. He didn’t like that expression on her face. Arulius stared at her as he tried to think of something to say. His mind had gone blank.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why are we going to the queen?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Anybody who comes to Wonderland must be asked if they know the whereabouts of the Prince of Hearts,” he answered before smiling a bit. “So, I don’t want to disappoint her majesty.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Prince of Hearts?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Snatcher shrugged as he continued on his way to the castle with Eclipse following him. “I don’t know why she’s continuing to look for him. In fact, I’m pretty sure she’s better off without him.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yeah?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yeah,” he said, giving a bitter chuckle. “He’s stuck up. He’s rigid. The prince didn’t know how to have fun. A pushover who couldn’t tell people he didn’t want the relationship he had. Probably couldn’t hold down a relationship he wanted. He’s a jerk. Ignoring others just to make sure the current queen remained happy. He didn’t want to marry her. He couldn’t go against what others had told him he had to do!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Arulius had kept going on about himself. He paused for a moment as his eyes widened in a realization. These were not the Prince of Hearts’ comments. He had somehow started talking about himself. He took a deep breath to try and calm his nerves. His hands gripped into a fist before releasing. He did this a few more times before making a noise. Eclipse had gone silent. He glanced at the young woman before his face turned pink. She looked stunning in the sunlight that bounced off the white castle. He blinked as he saw her squinting her eyes before she moved to cover her eyes with a hand. He chuckled a bit before moving to place his hat on her head. He watched her fix the hat before going to stare at him. The pink in his face turned darker. Oh no was his thought. She was adorable in his hat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about …?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I’ll be fine,” he said. He winced as he hadn’t meant to cut her off. He was a bit nervous to be there at the moment. “I’m used to the shine this place gives. I visit a lot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked around the area they were standing. He was surprised there were no guards to lower the bridge. He placed a hand on his hip as he sighed. Perfect. They walked the whole way to the castle, and he wasn’t even sure if Vanessa was home. Leave it to Vanessa to go off without a care in the world. The White Queen had a job to do while she was the queen. She couldn’t go off and not let anybody know she was leaving. He jumped as he heard a carriage approach before turning his head to stare at it. He saw the white horses first before sighing. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Ah,” he tried to mutter under his breath. “There she is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A young woman appeared from the carriage with the help of the footsman. She stepped out of the carriage before moving to fix the crown that had begun to slip from her head. Blonde hair fell in curls around her face and shoulders. Arulius stared at her. His breath hitched as he recognized the White Queen. He felt himself being swallowed by a black hole at the moment. He should have realized who it was when he had found that her name was Queen </span>
  <em>
    <span>Vanessa</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He took a deep breath before freezing as she began to speak at him. Relax, Ru. She didn’t know you were the Prince of Hearts. She never noticed that the Mad Hatter of Wonderland was the Prince of Hearts. He scoffed a bit. It had caused the Queen to glare at him. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Snatcher,” she began, “who is this you’ve brought to visit me?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Arulius bowed a bit at the queen before answering her question, “She stumbled into my garden. I figured I’d bring her to you to ask the whereabouts of the prince.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yeah?” the queen snapped. “Tell me. Where’s the Prince of Hearts?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I-I have no idea,” answered Eclipse as she gulped a bit.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“My poor prince!” cried the queen. “Why won’t he return to me?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Arulius bit his lip as he tried to keep himself from snarling at her words. She was the reason he wouldn’t return to her. The pretend Mad Hatter didn’t need the Queen to know that he was wanting to snarl and snap at her. He had to make sure Eclipse was going to be alright. He glanced at the young woman as she seemed to be lost in thought. His eyes widened a bit as he saw a bit of curiosity enter her eyes.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I’m sorry, your majesty,” she said. “I thought he was missing?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“He is missing!” she cried.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“But, if he is to return to you, that means -- he ran away from you.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“No!” she snarled, her eyes beginning to glow. “He didn’t run away from me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Arulius’ eyes widened as he saw Vanessa snap. He saw Eclipse move a few steps away from the queen. He didn’t like where this was going at the moment. He moved closer to Eclipse. He didn’t trust Vanessa to not do something when she had that look in her eye. His hand twitched as he moved it closer to the young woman in case he had to move her out of harm’s way. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He didn’t run away from me!” she snapped. “My dear prince wouldn’t dare run away. He was happy! He always told me so!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“People can lie …”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“No!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Arulius was quick to move Eclipse out of the way of the oncoming ice. He wrapped his arms around Eclipse as he turned to glare at Vanessa. She didn’t dare try to harm Eclipse, did she? The young woman was only speaking the truth. He snarled at Vanessa. The queen paused before she growled at him. Arulius felt the thick energy that radiated between them. He wasn’t going to let Vanessa get away with whatever she was trying to do at the moment. He was tired of sitting there and doing nothing as she got away with all the stupid things she had done.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“S-Snatch …” he heard Eclipse begin to say.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Quiet,” he hissed.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Give her to me, Hatter,” the queen demanded. “She must be punished.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“When have I ever really listened to you, Vanessa?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am your </span>
  <em>
    <span>queen</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” she hissed at him. “You will do as I say Hatter!” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You are not my queen,” he told her. “You have never been my queen.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>It felt extremely nice to tell Vanessa she wasn’t his queen. He smiled a bit at his own words. She was never his queen. He had been with her because his parents had told him to be with her. He never liked Vanessa in that way. He never liked her personality. She was two faced, and he </span>
  <em>
    <span>hated </span>
  </em>
  <span>that about her. His eyes widened as he saw the ice coming their way. He moved to push Eclipse out of the way before barely doing her ice magic as well. He panted a bit before making a noise as he heard Eclipse yelp. He saw the soldiers circling around him. The hatter went to move to get her before soldiers surrounded him as well. Arulius snarled as he moved to try to get away from them. He broke away whenever they tried to hold him back. Eventually, he had to be held down by a few of them. Arulius could only watch as he saw Vanessa going after Eclipse. He gasped as she slapped her cheek. He snarled as he saw a soldier yank her hair causing her head to tilt back. He struggled to get the soldiers off of him.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You’ve insulted your queen,” Vanessa said. “You will be punished. Off with her head.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Arulius’ eyes widened as he heard Vanessa’s words. He struggled harder against the soldiers. He made a noise of distress when he saw Eclipse starting to be taken away to the castle. Her fear had his face pale. No. He had to stop this. She didn’t deserve this for telling the truth. He found the strength he needed to free himself from the cards as he heard her pleading words. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“S-Stop,” she whimpered. “P-Please.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Arulius stood straight as he gave the cards a glare to back off. He watched Eclipse before staring at Vanessa.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Stop it, Vanessa!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Vanessa paused as she turned toward the Mad Hatter. She frowned at him as he had managed to break through the soldiers holding him back. She crossed her arms as she waited for him to explain himself for stopping her.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“She’s right.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Pardon?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“The prince ran away from you.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Vanessa gnashed her teeth together as she heard the hatter. She was not doing this again. Her prince did not run away from her.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“He couldn’t stand you. He couldn’t stand the way this country was run. He couldn’t stand </span>
  <em>
    <span>himself</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” the hatter continued. “The prince couldn’t stay with somebody he truly didn’t love. He needed to be free.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“What are you saying?!” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You’re so blinded with your own fantasy that you haven’t even recognized your own precious prince in front of you?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Vanessa’s eyes widened as she stared into the gold of the man in front of her. At that moment, Snatcher appeared exhausted. He appeared done with the world. He looked like he wanted to sleep.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“P-Prince?” the queen gasped.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I changed my look to be able to live the life I wanted,” Arulius explained. “But, I will come back to the castle if it means that you will let Eclipse go.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Why?” the queen demanded. “She …”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“She told you the truth,” the hatter said as he gave her a firm look.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I knew it!” Eclipse said as she heard him. “The only person that could hate a person more than anybody else is that person.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Arulius gave Eclipse a smile as he heard her. Her words had a certain truth to them. He moved away from Vanessa to head toward the young woman being held by soldiers. He had them release her. The young man pulled his hat off Eclipse’s head, fighting back a laugh as her hair stood up from the move, before he placed it back on his own head. He grinned at the girl before making a noise. Oh no. She was crying. He moved to rub his thumb underneath her eye as he caught a stray tear. She didn’t have to cry for him. It would turn out okay in the end.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I definitely like being Snatcher,” he told her. “The Mad Hatter of Wonderland.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Eclipse moved to place her hand on his own as he realized he had cupped her cheek. She smiled at him, tears still shining in her eyes, as she began to speak, “Then be him,” huffed Eclipse. “You don’t have to be somebody else. Especially not for my sake. You just met me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did,” he laughed. “But, you’re fascinating. You’re definitely worth sacrificing my own happiness to make sure you’re okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stared at her as she moved her hands to cup his cheeks in her hands. She had soft hands he had decided at that moment. His face turned red as he realized how close she had gotten to him. His heart thudded loudly against his ribcage. He stared into blue eyes before Eclipse smiled at him. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You don’t have to be somebody else to be well loved, Snatcher.  You don’t have to pretend in front of everybody. Others will truly accept you when you relax and be yourself.”</span>
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  <span>She moved a piece of his hair that had fallen in front of his face when his hat shifted position on his head. He moved to smile at her before he blinked. She had tensed up on him. He made a noise as she pushed him away from her. His expression dropped as she pushed him away. He stared at the ground before staring at her.</span>
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  <span>“E-Eclipse?” He cursed himself for stuttering as he said her name.</span>
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  <span>“N-No!” she said as she moved further away as he moved closer to her. “S-Stay there.”</span>
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  <span>“But …”</span>
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  <span>“This is a dream!” she  said as her eyes closed. “A horrible, horrible nightmare.”</span>
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  <span>“Eclipse!”</span>
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  <span>Arulius reached into the air before he realized he had been laying down. There was a ceiling above him. He groaned before moving to rub his nose as he sat up in bed. Gold eyes blinked as Arulius realized he was in his room. He didn’t know how he got to his room. The young man jumped as he heard his door open.</span>
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  <span>“Wow, jumpy much?” asked Morgan as he walked into the room.</span>
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  <span>“I .. what happened?”</span>
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  <span>“Your dumbass ran into a fucking pole,” laughed Morgan. “Knocked you right out.”</span>
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  <span>Arulius glared at his brother before he groaned. Glaring hurt his head. He did feel like an idiot for walking into a pole though. He placed his hands on his lap before sighing. It took a surreal dream to wake him up. He moved to grab his phone. He found Vanessa’s number before making a noise. No. He put it back on the nightstand. He glanced at it once again before picking it up. He dialed Vanessa’s number before holding it to his ear. It rang a few times before she answered.</span>
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  <span>“Arulius?” </span>
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  <span>“Hey, Vanessa,” he said as he smiled a bit. “We need to talk. When can you meet up with me on campus?”</span>
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